ENG 4895 will explore literary postmodernism. Conclusively defining postmodernism is impossible. Some opine the postmodernist movement begins in the aftermath of the second World War; however, I would say that literary postmodernism starts with Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot (1954 Fr. 1956 Eng.) ushering in the Theatre of the Absurd as well as raising unsettling questions about being and existence. I also value the postmodern/ postcolonial signpost of the Suez Canal Crisis (1956), which provided ample fuel for the Cold War. This course will explore many unsettling and unsettled questions about culture and identity as a gateway to interrogating ideologies, democracies, and nationalisms.
Tuesdays and Thursdays 2:00-3:15
Dr. James Ivory
ENG 4895 Twentieth Century British Literature: 1945-Present flyer
